Ruler for slates



. shown.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD WILLIAM AHNE, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

RU LER FOR SLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,046, dated June 20, 1893.

Application filed February 17, 1893. Serial No. 462,760. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD WILLIAM AHNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rulers for Slates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in grooved rulers or ruling devices for use in connection with slates, blackboards, account books, paper sheets or other articles or surfaces adapted to serve as writing surfaces, the object of the invention being to provide a simple and inexpensive contrivance whereby straight lines may be easily and quickly drawn upon the surface of the slate or other object, at proper distances apart to permit letters or other characters of suitable size and with the proper spacing, to be written between the lines thus drawn, the ruled slate for instance, thus serving the same purpose as the printed page of the copy-book with fixed lines and spaces, and the invention therefore consists essentially in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed. 7

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention: Figure l is a plan view of an ordinary slate with my improved grooved.

ruler shown thereon in position for actual use the slate itself being constructedso as to adapt it for use with the ruler. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same showing the inner edges of the longer sides of the slate frame in elevation so as to indicate the peculiar shaped depressions formed therein to receive the ends of the ruler. Fig. 3 is aperspective View of my improved grooved ruler. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a blackboard with which my improved grooved ruler is arranged for actual use, the mechanism for keeping the ruler in proper position and for enabling it to be easily adjusted, being clearly Fig. 5 is a detail View showinga different kind of mechanism for adjusting the blackboard ruler. Fig. 6 is another detail View showing a still different form of mechanism for adjusting the blackboard ruler.

Fig. 7 is a detail view showing a part of the grooved ruler provided with asharpening.

figures of the drawings.

My improved ruler is especially designed for use with the ordinary slate, an example of which is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it being designated by the reference letter D. The slate proper is inclosed by the frame, having the shorter sides d d and the longer sides d d. Although the ruler is primarily designed for use with the slate, yet it is equally serviceable with other objects and I do not intend in any sense to be restricted in its use.

B designates the grooved ruler or ruling device having the ends B B and the straight longitudinal parallel edges B B. Between the edges B B is one or more intermediate strips B Between the intermediate strip B and each edge B there is therefore a space, as 12 b providing a groove 01' slot to receive the points of the pencils that may be used with this ruler, said pencil points being drawn along in these slots and marking upon the underneath surface. The adjacent sides of the intermediate piece 13 and the edge pieces B. B are inclined as shown, on each side of the slots b 11 There may be any number of these intermediate pieces B and consequently any number of slots 19 so that any desired number of lines may be made with the ruler, corresponding with its size and the number of the intermediate pieces B With a ruler of the construction shown in Fig. 3, having only one intermediate piece 13*, it will be obvious that two lines may be drawn by moving the pencil in the twoslots b and two more lines drawn by moving the pencil along the outer sides of the pieces B B, or four lines in all with this kind of ruler.

made wider than is indicated in Fig. 3, so that each edge of the slot may serve as a guide for a line so that by moving the pencil at each edge of the slot, two lines can be made in the slot, all of which will be readily understood. The essential point, as is obvious, is the grooved or slotted character of the ruler, en-

If desired however the slots 11 b may be abling guides to be provided for the easy manipulation of the pencil indrawinglines, at proper distances apart.

The width of the intermediate strip B shown in Fig. 3, may if desired, be equal to one-fifth of the entire width .of. the ruler between the outer sides of the pieces B B. Therefore when the ruler is thus constructed and shaped with these dimensions, the user can by drawing his pencil against the outer edges of the parts B B and against each edge of the intermediate piece B produce four Fig. 1, the distance between the lines 2.and 3 being equal to one-fifth the distance between the lines 1 and 4, and accordingly lines will thus be made upon the slate suitable for writing letters upon and between them, the space between the lines 2 and 3 being adapted to receive the small letters, while the lines 1 and 4 will determine the length of the other letters after the ordinary manner of instructions in writing.

Each end piece B of therulerB is provided with a central pin or lug b and also it is shaped underneath with opposite inclines b 1) extending from each end of piece B to the middle part thereof as clearly represented in Fig. 3, and furthermore on the upper side of each head B is preferably placed a knob 12 for use as a handlein manipulating the ruler.

The slides d d of the slate frame are provided with rectangular notches A A, cut therein along the inner edges of the sides cl d at suitable distances apart, said rectangular notches being adapted to receive the projecting pins or lugs b on the heads or ends B of the grooved ruler. Furthermore, it will be noted that the sides dd of the slate frame are at points on each side of the several notches A A cut away to provide inclines a a, sloping down into the notches, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. to provide on the sides (1 d of the slate frame,

suitably-shaped depressionsto receive the peculiarly-shaped ends of the grooved ruler. It will be observed that the connections 12 b on the ends of the grooved ruler willfit into the inclined depressions a a on the slate frame sides, simultaneously with the fitting of the projections 1) into the rectangular notches A. Thus it will be seen that the grooved ruler can be located transversely upon the slate D with its ends held firmly in the notches provided forthe purpose and when the grooved ruler is so held, lines may easily be ruled upon the slate by manipulating the pencil with the ruler in the manner already suggested. By using the ruler and sliding the same up or down on the slate sur-' face, causing the ends of the ruler to successively engage the notches in the sidesd d, it will be obvious that a succession of parallel lines, situated the proper distances apart, can easily and quickly be made with but verylittleeifort and very little trouble on the part of theuser of the device and the result will be to outline the slate so that it will have the appearance of and will serve the purpose of the page of an ordinary copy-book and instructions in pcnmanship may be given therewith as easily as with a printed copy-book.

My improved ruler, either in the exact form already described, which is shown in Fig. 3,

or in some similar or analogous structure or modification,capable of performinga similar work, may be used with other articles, objects and surfaces than ordinary slates, as for instance a blackboard, as H, indicated in Fig. 4. lines, like those indicated at 1, 2, 3and t, in

Bdenotes my improved ruler located in a horizontal transverse position upon the blackboard surface H in Fig. 4. Said ruler has at each end, depressions 5 adapted to enter the notches g g in the sides G G of the blackboard frame. The notches g g vary considerably from the notches A in the slate frame, but their purpose and design isthe same. By referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that these notches are cut with inclines and also with horizontal sections. They may be made in any desirable manner to easily engage the projections on the end of the ruler. In order that the rulerB, being as it is, of considerable size, may be adj ustedwith ease and accuracy, I preferably connect to each end a cord 0 carrying a counterbalance weight 0, and running over a pulley 0. balance the ruler and render the use thereof easy, especially for children. Instead of the counterbalance weight, I may if desired employ the counterbalancing spring, having where e is one end of the spring attached to the end of the ruler,or the spring may have a spiral form as shown at F in Fig. 6. Any one of these counterbalance devices foruse with the blackboard ruler may be employed or still different means used for the same purpose. The purpose of this construction is 1 It is proper to observe that myimproved ruler may be made of wood, gutta percha, tin, iron, or any other suitable metal or material and may be of any size and proportions. The small sized ruler adapted for use with slates, maybe made of metal andnicely nickel-plated so as to have aneat finish. The larger ruler, employed with blackboards will however, preferably be made of wood or other light material so as to have as little weight as possible.

Thcinclined sides of the intermediate strips B of the grooved ruler B or the sides of the Theweightscountereither a coiled formas shown at E in Fig. 5,

IIO

pieces B B, may if desired, be provided with corrugations or roughened surfaces as at b in Fig. 7, said surfaces being similarto that of a file, so that when the pencil is; drawn along in the slot b5 for the purpose of marking on the surface beneath, it willsimultaneously therewith be drawn along upon the roughened surface of the rulerand thereby become automaticallysharpened. Thus the ruler provides an automatic pencil sharpener and a pencil used therewith will be kept constantly sharp.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a slate having a series of notches cut in the side pieces of the frame thereof, of a grooved ruler for use in lining the slate or other surface, consisting of a longitudinally grooved or slotted device, having straight parallel longitudinal edges and adapted to be held upon a slate or other surface, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a slate or other form, having a series of notches cut in the parallel side pieces thereof, of a grooved ruler for use therewith, consisting of side pieces and end pieces and one or more intermediate strips providing a series of two or more longitudinal slots, the several pieces having straight longitudinal edges and the end pieces being shaped so as to adapt them to enter the notches in the frame, substantially as described.

3. The combination witha slate or similar form, having a series of notches cut in the side pieces thereof, of a grooved ruler having,

4. A slate having a series of notches cut in the side pieces of the frame thereof, in combination with a grooved ruler having end projections adapted to enter said notches, substantially as described.

5. A slate having a series of notches cut in the inner edges of the side pieces of the frame thereof, in combination with a grooved ruler consisting of parallel strips attached to end pieces which are provided with projections adapted to enter the aforesaid notches, the strips of the ruler providing slots wherein the pencil may operate, substantially as described.

6. The herein-described slate having its side pieces provided with notches A and contiguous inclines a, in combination with the grooved ruler B having side pieces B, one or more intermediate strips B and the end pieces 13 having projections 12' and inclines b substant-ially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD WILLIAM AHNE.

. Witnesses:

JOSEPH MILLS, JOHN H. BIXLER. 

